Metallic railroad-tie.



L. P. DAVOLL METALLIC RAILROAD TXE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, W1

1 ,1 23H 1 1. Patented D536, 2914 WITNESSES a rail being shown LEWIS F. DAVOLL, OF CEDAR BLUFF, VIRGINIA- METALLIC RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed May 7, 1914 Serial No. 837,020.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIS F. DAVOLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cedar Bluff, in the county of Tazewell and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metallic Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad ties, and more particularly to metallic ties.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an improved metallic tie including means for removably securing the track rails in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tie of he class described, including means whereby the rails may be secured thereon, said means affording a rail seat having a certain amount of resiliency and afiording accommodation for the contraction and expension of the rails due to changes in the temperature.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved metallic tie which will be extremely simple in construction, dur able, eflicient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

\Vith these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a tie constructed according to my invention, as secured to one end 2 represents a vertical, sectional view longitudinally of the tie and transversely of the rail taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-42 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and Fig. 3 represents a view of the tie, a rail being shown in place thereon, the view being taken from one end of the tie.

Referring more particularly to the drawing. the tie may be made of pressed steel, and is substantiall U-shaped, and comprises a flat bottom 5. side walls 6 which diverge slightly upwardly from the bottom and are provided on their upper edges with outwardly extending horizontal flanges 7. The bottom of the tie is provided at spaced intervals with pairs of transversely disposed thereof, Fig.

depending anchoring ribs stamped from the metal.

A tie plate is detachably secured to each end of the tie, and comprises a body portion 8 disposed transversely of the tie, and is at its ends provided with downwardly extending engaging flanges 9, which engage over the outer edges of the flanges 7 as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the central part of the body portion having its sides bent downwardly to provide substantially resilient spacing flanges 10, said flanges being of a length equal to the distance apart of side walls 6 of the tie, and being disposed transversely ofvthe tie, and snugly fittin at theirends against the side walls, sai flanges diverging slightly downwardly. The spacing flanges serve to maintain the side walls 6 of the tie in uniformly spaced position, and also serve to brace the side walls. The bottom edges of flanges 10 are spaced from the bottom 5 of the tie so that said bottom is clear from obstructions whereby rain water or water caused by the melting of snow, may readily run 0 of the tie, so as to prevent unnecessary rusting of 4, punched or the latter.

The tie plate is flat on its upper surface, and upon it rail 11 is adapted to rest and said rail is primarily secured by means of oppositely disposed retaining hooks 12, whose hooked portions 13 engage opposite edges of the base flange of the rail, and extend through openings 14 cut in the body portion 8 of the tie plate, the straight or shank portions 15 of the retaining hooks extending beneath the tie plate and in substantially parallel relation with the body portion thereof, and at their outer ends extend through openings provided in the spacing flanges 10 and are secured by means of nuts 16 turned upon the outer threaded ends of the shanks against the spacing flanges, for securing the rail in place. As shown clearly in Fig. 1, the retaining hooks are disposed so that they engage opposite edges of the rail base and extend through opposite spacing flanges so that the rail is securely held against lateral displacement. Since the spacing flanges are-somewhat resilient, it is evident that any variations in the width of the rail base will be compensated forby a giving of the flanges so that the retaining hooks will always be in tight engagement with the rail base and spacing flanges yeta certain resiliency will be al- 'life of the from, Si

lowed so that the strain u dent to the passing of ro over, will be transmitted tent to the tie plate, thus lengthening the rail, and at the same time not detracting from the life of the tie plate and tie. The plate may be provided with sets of keepers for further aiding the maintenance of the rail on the plate, said keepers being arranged in pairs at each end of the plate, aboye the flanges 7. of the tie, said n the rail inciling stock thereto a certain exeepers comprising flat shanks 18 (1' upon the upper surface of the plate and oilset upwardly at their inner ends as at 19 to provide rail blSQGllglllg portions wh ch engage the base of t e rail upon opposite sides. The shank portions 18 of the keep ers are substantially of an inverted U-shape as indicated in Fig. 8, and said keepers are provided with elongated slots 20 through which extend bolts 21, which bolts also extend through openings in flanges 7 of the tie, and through openings in portions of the tie plate disposed over said flanges, whereby the tie, tie plate and keepers are secured by the same bolts, as will be readily understood. The elongated slots 20 are provided so that rails with varying widths of base flanges may be accommodated and the openings 4 through which the hook portions 13 of the retaining hooks 12 extend, are also slightly elongated for the same reason. It will be 'noted thatthe flanges 7 of the tie are provided with difl'eregt sets of o nings spaced apart as illustrated at 22 in ig. 1, so that the tie plate maybe shifted when found necessary longitudinally of the tie to allow for the desired location of the plate on curves or at switches. By reason of the ties and tie plates having. their sides slightly divergent, a further advantage is obtained in that in shipping the parts they may be nested together, thus occupying a minimum storage and shipping space.

Although I have described the preferred embodiment of my inyention, I may desire to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of partsas do not depart from the spirit of the in rentionalnd the scope of the appended 'claims.

c aim: 1. A. metallic cross tie substantially U- shaped, and including a flat bottom havin anchoring ribs' unched downwardlytheree wa ls divergin slightly upwardly iron: thedbottom anh .pro'videad with o posite .exten ing over anging an s, ti; plates dis transversely of said fie near its d's, saidplates including flat body portions spanning said ties, and resting at their ends on the said flan s, the ends of said body portions provide with en gin flarges which engage the flanges of he tie, a; body 'portions 'aving theiryeentral parts t downwardly on opposite sides to pro- Jng hooks for kee vide spacing flan whichsnu ly fit between the side we is of-the tie, or bracing the latter, said s acing flanges diverging slightly downwar ly, said tie plates adapted to serve as seats for the track rails, retainping said rails in place, said books including straight shank portions, disposed below the body portions of the plates and extending in opposite directions and projecting at their ends through openings in tl vided with nuts for retaining the hooks, said hooks having hooked portions extending upward] through openings in the body portion of the plates and engaging the o posito edges of the base flanges of the rai s, and keepers disposed oppositely in pairs upon said plate, and above the tie flanges, said keepers including shank portions of substantially U-shape, said shank portions at their inner ends ofl'set to provide base flange engaging portions, and securing means extending through the tie flange, tie plates and keepers for securely binding the parts together.

2. A metallic tie of substantially U-sha. e, comprising a bottom s aced side wa ls, flanges formed on said side walls, tie lates isposed transversely of said ties an rovidcd with flanges an aging the tie flanges and further provide with spacing flanges disposed between the walls of the tle, hooks carried by said tie plates for securing the track rails in lace, said hooks bein 0pp0- sitely disposed and including shan rtions extending at their ends posite s acing flanges and further includmg boo portions extending through the tie plate, keepers disposed on said plate for further securing the track rails, and connecting means between said keepers, tie plates and tie flanges, for securing the parts together. i v

3. A tie of substantially U-sha ing side walls a' bottom and gnges, tie plates disposed on said ties an d ,provided with angespngafihg the tie'fflanges-spacing flanges provi ed on said tie ates and isposed between the. walls of t tainingihooks carried by said as securing the track rails in place ers garried by said tie pl'ates includand lieepor' further g securing the said rails.

railroad tie gmprising spaced side walls, andtie flanges, and a tie late disposed on said tie, means'p'rovidg .plat-ejor engaging thetie flan on said plate for maintaining-san in spaced relation and for bracing them, means carried. by the tie plate'tor securin a track rail in plae," andikeepees garrie by the plate for securing the track rail.

5. A railroad'tie" including side ,walls, tie plates secured to the side walls, means cartied the plat'e's" for means is spacing flanges and pro-- through op\ de walls securing the]; rails in place, and resilient s aoers between the side walls and connee with the securing means for resiliently maintaining the latter.

6. A railroad tie including side wall, and flanges, a tie plate disposed on said tie and provided with ineans=for enga 'ng the tie flanges, spacing flanges fol-me on the tie plate and. disposed between the side walls, said spacing flanges diverging at theirlower ends and rail 'securinggneans carried by said tie plate, said means includin shanks oppositely disposed and extending at their ends through said spacing flanges and to vi'ded with nuts, said shanks provide at their opposite ends with hooks extending through openings in the tie plate and adapted to engage the base flange of a rail.

7. In a railroad tie having s aoed walls, a tie plate, means for securing the same to a tie, rail engaging means carried by the tie plate and means for resiliently anchoring the rail engaging means, said means being disposed between and adapted to space the tie walls 8. A. railroad tie providing a tie plate having depending and diverging flanges,

rail retaimng means carried by said plate,

rail, the shanks'being disposed in opposite directions to each other and extending through the diverging flanges and provided with retainin means, whereby a resilient seat is provi ed for said rail.

' V LEWIS F. DAVOLL.

-W' itnesses: H. G. Norman, E. H; soon. 

